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I would love to here from people who actually tested this new drug. Did you have farts issue like from Complera? Or severe diarrhea? Sleeping problem? Please, help me - I am so badly suffering from Complera..Aug. 28, 2012 -- The FDA has approved Stribild, the much anticipated once-daily "quad" HIV pill from Gilead Sciences.

The drug combines same two HIV drugs in Truvada, plus elvitegravir, a new HIV drug that attacks HIV in a different way. The fourth component, also new, boosts elvitegravir.

It's the third all-in-one, once-a-day HIV pill. The others are Atripla from Gilead and Bristol Myers, approved in 2006, and Complera from Gilead and Janssen, approved in 2011.

"Over the past decade, co-formulated HIV medicines have simplified therapy for many patients and have become standard of care," Paul Sax, MD, of Brigham and Women's Hospital, says in a Gilead news release.

Stribild is intended for people who have never taken HIV drugs. It should be taken with food.

Stribild carries a "black box" safety warning. In rare cases, the drug causes a buildup of lactic acid in the blood. It can also cause severe liver problems. Both of these side effects can be deadly.

Hey there gooodman,I am currently on a double blind clinical trial for Stribild (Quad) and 'Quad2'.

Doesn't that mean you don't know which med you are on ?Is it Stribild or is it "Quad2" ?

Your list of side effects seems quite long. Are you sure they are all attributable to the meds ?

If I were you, I would switch to taking it in the evening, I think it might help with your nausea. In my experience with Truvada+Isentress, the med side effects is worse in the morning and/or on empty stomach.Stribild is supposed to be fairly similar to Truvada+Isentress, at least the drugs are in the same class, and there is a 4th med to extend the half-life of one drug so it can be a once-a-day pill. I take my Truvada+Isentress once-a-day at night though, and all is fine.

Hi guys i am new to the forum. I havent been in the clinical trials but i am on day 5 of taking stribild for tge first time (or any hiv med for that matter). I have noticed tgat i am a little more gasy but only a little more. The same with acid reflux. But i am very naucious. I havent thrown up yet but i also havent exactly left the house in a couole of days and yesterday and today i woke up much earlier then usual really naucious. Is anyone else experiencing these side effects? I have never been on antiretroviral treatment before. I heard the first month can be very nausciating so is that what this is? I definately feel like its a little debillitating. Ant info would be appreciated. Thanks everyone!!!

Hi guys i am new to the forum. I havent been in the clinical trials but i am on day 5 of taking stribild for tge first time (or any hiv med for that matter). I have noticed tgat i am a little more gasy but only a little more. The same with acid reflux. But i am very naucious. I havent thrown up yet but i also havent exactly left the house in a couole of days and yesterday and today i woke up much earlier then usual really naucious. Is anyone else experiencing these side effects? I have never been on antiretroviral treatment before. I heard the first month can be very nausciating so is that what this is? I definately feel like its a little debillitating. Ant info would be appreciated. Thanks everyone!!!

Jonny b

Sustiva first gave this naucious conditions with nightmares, then Atripla came alone and it has Sustiva in it - so the same effect - you fell naucious for couple of hours and always have a nightmares.. Now you telling that Stribild has the same side effect? For the price they asking - they better come up with higher quality drug. Personaly I have no side effects from Complera bisides it makes me like a leaking gas balloon. You cannot work at the office if you taking Complera. You gonna poison your coworkers!

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Hi guys i am new to the forum. I havent been in the clinical trials but i am on day 5 of taking stribild for tge first time (or any hiv med for that matter). I have noticed tgat i am a little more gasy but only a little more. The same with acid reflux. But i am very naucious. I havent thrown up yet but i also havent exactly left the house in a couole of days and yesterday and today i woke up much earlier then usual really naucious. Is anyone else experiencing these side effects? I have never been on antiretroviral treatment before. I heard the first month can be very nausciating so is that what this is? I definately feel like its a little debillitating. Ant info would be appreciated. Thanks everyone!!!

Jonny b

Is it amazing - STRIBILD was approved by FDA on August 28, or 2 days plus-minus, and on September 5th you was able to get this brand new drug already taken! God bless America! Please, John your experience is very important for all of us - keep us infomed about your progress! And when you will get your first blood test done, ask your doc to print copy for you and make notes about changes in your numbers. The price for this drug is HUUUUUUUUUGE! So, people want to know how it works.

Just started Stribild 9 days ago (Nov 8 2012) and it's my first time on meds. tested positive on 8/31/12 and diagnosed w/ AIDS around 9/15. I've had issues with my appetite, hot farts (lol), headaches, muscle weakness/soreness. The headaches are the most annoying, the headaches and muscle weakness are the only lingering side effects, everything else has gone away.

I'm not on stribild but a good friend of mine recently started on Stribild.....he has had very minimal side effects, and in 6 weeks went from a VL of 86,000 to UD....I'm not sure about his CD4 counts.....I'm so jealous....after 4 months on meds, and I am finally down to 289.

Hi guys new here first post!Tested pos October with readings of CD4=5 and VL 273,000,00.and Hep B chronic with VL of 66,000,000,000 ( that's right million)Tested again November CD4=56 and VL=102 from stribild.My Doctor started me on stribild as the first meds. My side affects were nausea, hot and cold sweats, joint pain, and headaches, no gas as some of you experienced. After one month he took me off stribild and put me on the regimen of TRUVADA, RITONAVIR, and PREZISTA and much better. I would avoid taking these meds at night. I have taking both sets of pills an hour or two before bed and have had to throw up both times, its something about how these pills lay on your stomach, may be different for you. I take in the late afternoon 4 FLUCONAZOLE as a precaution.You will have no appetite but must eat with these pills, so I found DRONABINOL (MARINOL) 10mg pills (THC) prescribed by your doctor does the trick. They say the nausea goes away fairly quickly and I'm in the middle of the second month and still getting nausea like day one.

I have been taking Stribild for approximately 3 weeks now. To date, i have no side effects. If anyone has any questions about this drug feel free to hit me up. So far it seems like a great option, but i am yet to get my bloods done since starting so I can't comment on its effectiveness just yet.

I have been taking Stribild for approximately 3 weeks now. To date, i have no side effects. If anyone has any questions about this drug feel free to hit me up. So far it seems like a great option, but i am yet to get my bloods done since starting so I can't comment on its effectiveness just yet.

I'm in the same boat. Just started Stribild earlier this week after being on Epzicom/Prezista/Norvir for the past 3 years since diagnosis. The Prezista regimen did well in keeping me UD, but I had constant abdominal discomfort (always felt like I'd just been punched in the stomach). My doc suggested the switch, and I'm only on day 4 but the stomach issues have gone away. I won't know for several weeks how the efficacy is for me, but my doc seems to think it's an excellent drug and just as powerful if not moreso than what I was on previously.

"On November 28, 2012, FDA approved a labeling change for the Hepsera (adefovir dipivoxil) package insert to include the following information under Section 5.5, Coadministration with Other Products, and to Section 17.1, Patient Counseling Information/Instructions for Safe Use.

Hepsera should not be used concurrently with Stribild (elvitegravir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir disporoxil fumarate combination tablet).

Hepsera is nucleotide analogue for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B infection, manufactured by Gilead Sciences.

What is your meal like that you take the Stribild with? I'm finishing off my second bottle of Complera right now, and will be switching to Stribild when it runs out. The Complera has been friendly to me with no side effects, but the 400 calorie requirement has been hard to meet every morning. I have been on a strict diet and having to eat 400 calories usually over fills me in the morning.

The Gilead site pretty much just says "Stribild should be taken with food." I wonder how little food?

What is your meal like that you take the Stribild with? I'm finishing off my second bottle of Complera right now, and will be switching to Stribild when it runs out. The Complera has been friendly to me with no side effects, but the 400 calorie requirement has been hard to meet every morning. I have been on a strict diet and having to eat 400 calories usually over fills me in the morning.

The Gilead site pretty much just says "Stribild should be taken with food." I wonder how little food?

I'm not Parker, but I had the same discussion with my doctor. He said around 300 calories would be enough. I asked him if a protein shake could count as food and he said most likely. I typically have a bowl of cereal with whole milk as my meal (and have historically with the meds I was on prior to Stribild) and have done well. I won't know what my results are with Stribild for a couple of weeks, but my doc suggested whatever I ate with my last regimine would work with Stribild.

Hi I have been on Stribild for 17 days and have had no side effects my cd4 were 500 and my viral load was 127,000. 17 days later I have a viral load of 300 and cd4 645. I would definitely recommend this pill.

I'm on week 3 of Stribild and am thrilled that all of my GI side effects (from the previous regimen) seem to have vanished. I sure hope my numbers stay good with this drug because the thought of going back to daily stomach aches isn't pleasant.

Hi all--my doctor said that any food is ok. It is not like complera where there is a caloric requirement. I think the food requirement is more to prevent side effects of nausea and diarrhea (similar to an antibiotic). My boyfriend just started on Stribild as well and he has had side effects of mild headaches and some diahrrhea. Overall, he is tolerating it well also. How is everyone else handling it?

Complera is okay, I've been on it a week..but I am going back to Atripla because I have discovered that my sleep issues and anxiety were not related to either medication. And for me I just don't like to have to calorie-count each time I take it. The Atripla worked for me because I took it at night and I do most of my eating earlier in the day anyway. I don't know anyone personally who is on the Quad/Stribild yet, but am thinking it would be another popular once a day option. The day is coming hopefully when all the regimens will be once a day ones!

I was really hoping i could get on stribild but my doc is worried about possible kidney problems. she said that until shes seeing me on a regular basis and knows ill come in regularly enough for her to keep an eye on my kidney function she wont prescribe it to me. she was also worried about how new it is. boo! i was really hoping to go on this one as my anxiety issues have ruled out atripla. looks like complera for me! not looking forward to the calorie counting.

I was really hoping i could get on stribild but my doc is worried about possible kidney problems. she said that until shes seeing me on a regular basis and knows ill come in regularly enough for her to keep an eye on my kidney function she wont prescribe it to me. she was also worried about how new it is. boo! i was really hoping to go on this one as my anxiety issues have ruled out atripla. looks like complera for me! not looking forward to the calorie counting.

Here are some 400 calorie options listed on the Complera site:

2 slices of whole-wheat toast with peanut butter, fresh fruit, and 1 cup of apple juicePlain bagel with 2 tbsp cream cheese, yogurt, and a banana2 Pop-Tarts®, yogurt, and 1 cup of apple juiceDunkin’ Donuts® blueberry muffin and a small coffee with creamStarbucks® strawberry and blueberry yogurt parfait and a tall latte2 eggs, 2 strips of bacon, and 2 slices of wheat toast with butter

Roast beef sandwich on a hard roll with mayonnaise, cheese, lettuce, and tomato2 slices of cheese pizza and 1 can of regular sodaPeanut butter and jelly sandwich on wheat bread, a banana, and 1 cup of skim milkSubway® 6" classic tuna subMcDonald’s® hamburger and a side salad with ranch dressingVeggie burger on a bun with tomato soup and a side salad with dressing

Grilled chicken Caesar salad with dressing2 cups of spaghetti with marinara sauce and grated parmesan cheeseSalmon with rice and fresh vegetables1 KFC® Original RecipeTM chicken breast without skin, coleslaw, corn on the cob, and mashed potatoes with gravyChipotle® black bean and cheese burritoTofu and vegetable stir-fry with brown rice and a side salad with dressing

Complera is okay, I've been on it a week..but I am going back to Atripla because I have discovered that my sleep issues and anxiety were not related to either medication. And for me I just don't like to have to calorie-count each time I take it.

You might want to give it more than one week - it can take the Sustiva portion of Atripla a while to completely get out of your system and stop causing havoc. There are other once-a-day combos you can take instead of Complera or Atripla.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Hi everyone. I've been on Stribild for about 3mos now. I have not had much of an appetite even though I smoke pot everyday. I get nausea minimally once a day or so. Like someone said before, right when I wake up and put my feet on the floor.. I get REALLY nauseated... coughing like I'm gonna puke, but I never do. Then I just smoke some and it goes right away. Now, I'm out of town for the holidays and I don't have pot with me, so I'm feeling much more nausea now. I've even thrown up a couple of times since I've been out of town. I've also been having the cold/hot flashes like I have a fever, but I don't think I actually have. My sleep patterns are weird. I find it very hard to stay awake past 6pm. I sleep my eight hours or so, then get up around 2a-3a. From that point until about 10a is my best time of the day. I feel good and productive. Once I eat lunch and take a nap, I get up feeling blah for the rest of the day. I just woke up from my nap and walked the dog and now after just shaving and wrapping one present, I feel just crappy. I think this drug will be tolerable if I can get back home and into my regular routine with smoking pot to counter the nausea. Just another note: I have been dealing with depression/anxiety for several years, so although I'm feeling a little more depressed and fatigued I can't for certain attribute it to the Stribild. My sessions with my therapist have gotten intense and we're bringing up ALOT of pain from the past, so I think waves of depression are normal when someone is processing years of "stuff". I guess I'll stick with this for now. I'm unemployed, so it's much better to pay for one med than two (I was on Issentress/Truvada) before that basically from the day that Issentress was approved and never had one side effect whatsoever. I was undetectable before and still am. CD4 was 942 in March, 2012 and 1372 in Oct, 2012.

I'm glad there is another one pill once a day option out there now, hopefully soon, all hiv meds will be one pill. So much easier. I take Atripla and it's worked well for me. I tried Complera and I actually thought it made my sleep issues WORSE! I got hardly any sleep on Complera! Plus I didn't like the calorie counting it required, that was way too annoying. And I felt weird on it, so I went back to Atripla! I can't comment on Stribild because I don't know enough about it, nor do I know anyone who's on it now. But I would say if the negatives you feel on it outweigh the positives, change your meds. Don't settle. Find a regimen that has the least negatives for you. Everyone's different.

I just came off a 1 year study where I took 5 drugs and 1 placebo with no side effects and now I have been on Stribild for 10 days now, with no complaints, I had a colonoscopy the other day so I had to take it while fasting and had no problems.

Hi all--my doctor said that any food is ok. It is not like complera where there is a caloric requirement. I think the food requirement is more to prevent side effects of nausea and diarrhea (similar to an antibiotic). My boyfriend just started on Stribild as well and he has had side effects of mild headaches and some diahrrhea. Overall, he is tolerating it well also. How is everyone else handling it?

Just a stribild update. I have now been on Stribild for approximately 1 1/2 months. My viral load went from 25k to UD in that short period. My CD4 is currently 594. Still no side effects. I recommend this drug for first time treatment users.

Convinced my doc today to let me try Stribild! Looks like ill be taking my first step towards UD tomorrow. Ill keep you guys updated about side effects/efficacy and all that.So glad I convinced her! This really was my top choice in terms of pills. Apparently my strain is resistant to Sustiva, so even without my anxiety issues Atripla was out of consideration. Anyone had any skin issues with Stri? I have crazy sensitive skin so I'm really hoping to avoid any kind of nasty rash situation.

why doesnt anything in this thread mention how HUGE stribild pills are!? jesus! i just got my first bottle and will take my first one tomorrow morning (gulp) and couldnt resist looking inside. note, these are the first pills i will ever be taking for HIV. are they all that enormous??? or is it just because stribild is 4 pills in one? i had to wait a few days for them to get it in stock, which is kind of worrying but i guess ill start asking for refills a week or so before i need them? not sure how that works. also the girl at the pharmacy said that my insurance (ADAP) didnt cover the vitamin D and B12 pills my doc prescribed so im gonna have to figure out whats up with that. cheers to my last day med-free! (that is if i can actually manage to choke down one of those horse pills..."

why doesnt anything in this thread mention how HUGE stribild pills are!? jesus! i just got my first bottle and will take my first one tomorrow morning (gulp) and couldnt resist looking inside. note, these are the first pills i will ever be taking for HIV. are they all that enormous??? or is it just because stribild is 4 pills in one? i had to wait a few days for them to get it in stock, which is kind of worrying but i guess ill start asking for refills a week or so before i need them? not sure how that works. also the girl at the pharmacy said that my insurance (ADAP) didnt cover the vitamin D and B12 pills my doc prescribed so im gonna have to figure out whats up with that. cheers to my last day med-free! (that is if i can actually manage to choke down one of those horse pills..."

My trick is to take it with food--LITERALLY. Chew up a a half piece of bread and actually swallow it down with the bread. You wont even notice it going down. Another thing is to try with soda as opposed to water--the bubbles make it easier.

I just Started Stribild a couple of days ago. I was on Isentress/Selzentry/Truvada, but I am preparing for a VSG (Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy) and need to reduce my load of pills that cannot be crushed. I have had some headaches, but I think that may be due to the stress of it all. Otherwise, easy peasy. Truth be told, I want to get Selzentry back into the mix after the surgery, I think Selzentry is an incredible medication. I only wish I could crush these pills for my surgery.....baaahhh.Good luck on Stribild, it's like Isentress on crack...lol.

i think the side effects are beginning. I'm on day 5 of stribild. Mild nausea. Vivid dreams. Not sure if the dreaming is med related? They seem a lot more vivid and crazy since starting but that could just be my imagination or something to do with the fact that ive drastically cut back on drinking (almost all together) in the past few weeks. Last night I woke up FREEZING, put on about 4 blanket, shivered for an hour before getting back to sleep. Gradually stripped the blankets off during the night. Woke up drenched in sweat. Ugh! I was scared for a second I was coming down with that mega flu epidemic sweeping the nation (even though i got the shot) but I think its just the stribild. None of these effects have been too bad at all but I must admit i was hoping for none...anyone else with the vivid dreams? i know theyre usually associated with atripla but i've read they are still likely with stribild, just less so.

i kind of like them. last night i dreamt i was walking through the forest with all my friends. we got to this serene beach and saw these huge boats floating in the distance. slowly they grew larger and we realized they were giant houses! they weren't just any houses, but each of our dream houses! they floated up to the shore and walked (they could walk) up to the person they belonged to who in turn told them where to settle down. my friends and i lived together in a tiny community of dream houses on a beautiful beach next to a serene forest.

i guess that one was pretty nice. i also had a dream that aliens were biting my hands through my sheets and woke up terrified...

ANybody else feel a weird kind of high a few hours after taking stribild? it doesnt last very long. i havent read anything about this. should i expect is to go away? ive only been taking them for a week.

if after 4 to 6 weeks this is still happening then you might want to speak to your doctor about it. Until then remember that your body is going through a lot of changes as your VL is dropping as the HIV is dying, as your CD4s and immune system are recovering, and as your body is adjusting to the new chemicals/medications that you've introduced into your system.

Remember too, it could be worse. LOL not to diminish the effect you're having or that if it continues you should seek medical help; but You could be barfing or having the runs as your body adjusts. A weird kind of high for a few hours isn't the worst thing, if you can plan to take it in stride.

ANybody else feel a weird kind of high a few hours after taking stribild? it doesnt last very long. i havent read anything about this. should i expect is to go away? ive only been taking them for a week.

Yes, I am feeling it right now. I have been on stribild since early October and my viral load went from 50 million to undetectable in a 45 days. My doctor was doing trials with the drug and said he never saw anything like it. The only down side is that my insurance company is making me get it through the mail now. I am not the best source for this since I have not been on any other meds but the results seem to be good.

I do have one question... I met someone who has killer t-cells and the basically maintain undetectable viral loads without medication. How would I know if I have these t cells if I rushed on medication?

Yes, I am feeling it right now. I have been on stribild since early October and my viral load went from 50 million to undetectable in a 45 days. My doctor was doing trials with the drug and said he never saw anything like it. The only down side is that my insurance company is making me get it through the mail now. I am not the best source for this since I have not been on any other meds but the results seem to be good.

I do have one question... I met someone who has killer t-cells and the basically maintain undetectable viral loads without medication. How would I know if I have these t cells if I rushed on medication?

You had a viral load of 50 million? You're lucky you weren't consumed -- I've never heard of anyone having a viral load that high. I'm not even sure the viral load test can measure that high.

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"Life in Lubbock, Texas, taught me two things: One is that God loves you and you're going to burn in hell. The other is that sex is the most awful, filthy thing on earth and you should save it for someone you love." - Butch Hancock, Musician, The Flatlanders

I do have one question... I met someone who has killer t-cells and the basically maintain undetectable viral loads without medication. How would I know if I have these t cells if I rushed on medication?

Sorry - I meant to say this in my other post. Re: the killer t-cells. I've heard about Stanford creating something like this in a lab (http://www.aidsmeds.com/articles/Stanford_genes_1667_23396.shtml), but I haven't heard of it existing in nature. I also remember hearing a lot about people who just have a natural immunity and never get infected even after repeated exposure. BUT this is a very small number of people if they really exist at all, so the probability that you have some sort of natural defense is extremely low. I don't know who you would talk to about a test for that, but really, don't do any home experiments to "see what happens".

Like Buckmark said, yours is also the highest viral load that I've heard of, but I'm new at this. Mine was 132,000+, when I was diagnosed, and at the time, I thought that was ridiculously high... Are you sure you didn't move a comma over accidentally on your labs?

I would think if you had any sort of natural killer t-cells, your viral load would never have gotten that high, which is even more reason to avoid any home experiments...

I do have one question... I met someone who has killer t-cells and the basically maintain undetectable viral loads without medication. How would I know if I have these t cells if I rushed on medication?

Everyone has "killer t-cells." CD8 T cells are called "killer T-cells" because they recognize cells that have been infected by viruses, attatch themselves to the infected cell, and kill it. However, this doesnt work so well with HIV infected cells.

I think the person you met meant to say they were a long term non-progressor.

There are a small group of HIV infected people that can maintain an undetectable viral load without the need for going on medication. They are called long term non-progressors (or elite controllers). There is a lot of research going on to determine how these people are able to control their HIV infection on their own. Hopefully if researchers can figure out exactly how their immune system can control their infection they can benefit everyone else.

So how can you tell if you are a long term non-progressor if you start medication right away? Well you cant. However, chances are you are not. Long term non progressors account for a small amount of patients maybe 1%. Which means there is a 99% chance that your not one. Since you had a viral load in the millions, you probably made the right choice starting meds.